The next iPhone: what Ars readers want from Apple

We asked you what you wanted from the next iPhone. You answered.

Yesterday, we put out a call asking you to tell us what you wanted to see the most in the next-generation iPhone. The response was huge: as of this writing, there are 235 comments and counting. Your responses ranged from the practical to the not-so-practical, and as usual, there was some lively debate about which features really matter to smartphone users.

Amid the disagreements, we were able to collect a solid list of iPhone feature requests from our loyal community. Some may show up during Apple's media event this Wednesday, while others may not arrive until next year (or ever, depending on the practicality). Still, here are the items that Ars readers report wanting to see the most in a future iteration of the iPhone. Apple, are you listening?

Home button: fix it or get rid of it

Complaints about the iPhone's home button were legion. Many users pointed out that their home buttons stopped working properly long ago, even on relatively new devices like the iPhone 4S. (This is a personal complaint of mine as well; forget trying to actually bring up the application switcher on the first, third, or even fifth try because the home button double tap doesn't work for me.)

But the responses were split between simply improving the mechanical functionality of the home button (requested by deepdreamer, HydrogenAlpha, Eddies in the ether, Phil Ta, and The Phazer), and getting rid of it altogether for something better (requested by Harun Makandi, Mossy, Rhonin, smcollins, Tsa Szymborska, and tokyojerry).

"Get rid of the home button and replace with a touch glass strip that can have multiple functions," Mossy wrote. "Now that I'm used to it on my Galaxy Note, it feels strange to ever need to press the home button. And yes, that home button does die."

Waterproof that iPhone

Wouldn't it be glorious if all of our electronic gadgets could automatically repel water droplets upon contact? Sadly, that is not the case, but several Ars readers (Verbal_kint, aaronb1138, Uxorious) are hoping Apple eventually makes the iPhone waterproof—or at least more waterproof than it is currently. "How long did it take before digital watches started getting water resistance ratings?" aaronb1138 asked.

Standardize on Micro USB

Rumors have been flying fast and furious in recent months about Apple's plans to redesign the iPhone's dock connector. Will it be 19 pins, 9 pins, or something else entirely? Now may be the right time to implement such a change, but it seems there are still too many competing theories on what the next dock connector will look like and what its purpose will be.

There is one option that Ars readers seemed to zero in on, though: Micro USB. Europe recently standardized on Micro USB for all phones sold within the EU, and even Apple makes its own Micro USB to 30-pin adapter in order to appease regulators. But wouldn't it be nice if the iPhone simply came with Micro USB built-in, freeing us from proprietary Apple connectors? That's what several of you (kot_matroskin, Nilt, and allwrong) wanted, though we're inclined to guess that Apple likes its licensed accessory ecosystem and won't be adding this just yet.

Wireless charging

Inductive charging for our gadgets has been on many of our wish lists for years, but the technology has been slow to make its way into consumer electronics. Energizer released a Wiimote induction charger in 2009 and Nokia's two new Lumia phones, the 920 and 820, are both capable of wireless inductive charging. Does that mean the iPhone is next? It may not be the most likely of predictions, but it's certainly one that some Ars readers would appreciate seeing when the new iPhone is released. Ostracus, cromination, allwrong, and Attabay all said they'd like to see Apple add some kind of wireless charging feature to the device.

"[Inductive charge pad technology] fits in better with the aesthetics Apple is currently shooting for," Ostracus wrote. "Near field charging. Set it near your MacBook Pro and it auto charges," cromination added.

Near Field Communications

It has been rumored that the next iPhone will have NFC capabilities, though not all rumors agree on that front. One thing is for sure: NFC was one of the most requested items from our readership: deepdreamer, Mista2, jpcg, XiozTzu, secretknight42, msft0682, and Rhonin all listed it as one of their wish list items, even though NFC has yet to make much of a splash in the US and elsewhere.

Stronger glass body

Have you ever shattered the front or back of your iPhone? I have done both to my iPhone 4 and shattered the front of an iPhone 3G, too, for good measure. There are plenty of stories like that, unfortunately, which is why a number of readers (deepdreamer, Yhbv24, Mista2, Mossy, and carlisimo) named it as something they'd like to see improved in the next-gen iPhone.

"More durable glass front, metal back, like an iPad, curve it more like the 3G to make it more comfy to hold," is what Mista2 said he wants.

Miscellaneous

There were plenty of other great suggestions from Ars readers in the thread that may have only received a couple mentions apiece. For one, uno2tres seems to agree with me that a fingerprint scanner would be a cool idea—Apple did buy AuthenTec in order to obtain "new technology" for future products, after all. Mista2 wants to be able to rotate the iPhone's springboard in landscape mode like you can on the iPad in addition to having separate user profiles within iOS. Illidan, msft0682, Uxorious, and tokyojerry all want a MicroSD slot to be added to the iPhone, though that one is probably about as likely as Apple adding Micro USB in lieu of a new dock connector. And captainbld and The Phazer both mentioned they'd like to see some kind of FM radio support; the iPod nano already has this capability, so there might still be hope when it comes to the iPhone, too.

152 Reader Comments

The trouble with making the iPhone water resistant (like a watch or through a "nano coating") is that, to tout the feature, you're going to have to dunk it in water, even though it'd just be a protective feature.

This is going to lead to scores of customers also dunking their iPhones in water, and sometimes it's not going to work. You'll then have scores of customers demanding warranty work when they were being stupid.

The trouble with making the iPhone water resistant (like a watch or through a "nano coating") is that, to tout the feature, you're going to have to dunk it in water, even though it'd just be a protective feature.

This is going to lead to scores of customers also dunking their iPhones in water, and sometimes it's not going to work. You'll then have scores of customers demanding warranty work when they were being stupid.

Apple already denies coverage to accidental damage, why would they make an exception here?

i thought wireless charing was a great idea until i saw the nokia version.it's still a dock, you don't' save any room or space.

dunno what i thought it should be but not that.

Yeah, but you just drop your phone on it and it charges wirelessly. Maybe you were hoping you can hold it in your hand and it charges, but I think we're far off that kind of advancement. It's still pretty hand, though.

i thought wireless charing was a great idea until i saw the nokia version.it's still a dock, you don't' save any room or space.

dunno what i thought it should be but not that.

Wireless charging is like anything else: it can be done well, and it can be done poorly.

I modded a Rearth case to charge my Galaxy Nexus via the pogo pins using a Touchstone charger and the inductive circuit from a Palm Pixi, and when it worked it worked very well. Unfortunately, the case is a bit too brief, and making reliable contact with the pins proved prohibitively difficult. :\ I haven't decided if I'll go for a more permanent mod along the same lines.

Wireless charging is so absolutely pointless. It's inefficient, requires additional internal components, duplicates existing functionality, it still requires that the phone be 'docked' so you can't use the phone while it's charging, and the dock takes up more room than a simple wire.

Apple already denies coverage to accidental damage, why would they make an exception here?

If you buy AppleCare for $99, then they charge $49 each for "up to two incidents of accidental damage". over a two year period.

Presumably that means refurbished replacement of your phone with identical or better specs and identical or better condition (scratches/etc).

Alternatively, you can get many things fixed (eg broken front/back) fairly cheaply from third parties, or buy a refurbished replacement off Apple (the price varies from one model to another, but basically a few hundred bucks).

My iPhone 3GS (which now functions primarily as an iPod Touch) has been through so much-water damage, waist-high drops, children, a sister who (soft) bricked it. I also had problems with the home button, but I was able to fix it. It turns out that the actual part that breaks the home button is the connector that interfaces the mechanical home button to the iPhone's main board. The connector is this little, flimsy sliver that kind of looks like this: ^^^^^\_ (just imagine the carets are the screen/home button, the backslash is the sliver that bends when it touches the conductive main board, the underscore). This sliver, if bent or obstructed by lint, just wrecks the functionality of the home button. I fixed the problem by adding a little conductive ink on the sliver that prevented lint from getting in there. My fix worked, but of all the innovations that went into the iPhone, this little mechanism puzzled me. I'll throw my vote in for fixing that.

This list is pretty depressing... there is nothing here that they are really going to fix:

* they aren't going to remove the home button. hopefully they'll make it more reliable. mine works most of the time but sometimes for a few days it doesn't do very well. * obviously they're removing the glass back. but that was already really cheap to replace (and easy enough to DIY in a minute or two). the front is already some of the strongest glass money can buy so that won't be improving. * everything else is categorically not going to happen in the forceable future.

I don't see apple getting rid of the home button. For the masses, it is a giant, physical reminder that escaping whatever trouble you have gotten yourself into on the phone is only one big click of that tactilely satisfying rescue me button. One thing I have come to understand about non-techie people using tech products is that fear of messing things up is a huge factor in their willingness to try new things and execute tasks. Since iOS apps from the app store don't really have many resources available to them to allow the user to truly mess up with consequences outside the app, the home button is like a giant kill switch that brings them right back to the simple, familiar home screen. I can see them moving to a capacitive button of sorts, but I think the simple functionality and prominent placement is here to stay.

Micro USB is so functionally limited compared to what the 30 pin connector can do. The people who keep beating the drum for that (from various threads I have read about it) have no clue about the realities here

I just don't get the appeal of wireless charging. Is it really that hard to hook up a cable or stick your phone in a dock? Even with wireless charging you still have to place it on the mat and usually in a relatively small area. I wonder if any of the people asking for this have actually used it vs some idealized dream. Just drop my phone randomly on the night stand and it charges automatically!!! Sure, that would be great but I don't think we are really there tech wise.

Sure, it makes sense for something like an electric tooth brush where you need a sealed device for water proofing but not really for a phone.

I guess I just want a new body change in general. Although the squareness of the iPhone 4 looks cool, I never liked how it felt in the hand. Like it curved on the edges to feel more like the first design.

Wow us again with your industrial design apple! and make it unbreakable on a drop.

I guess I just want a new body change in general. Although the squareness of the iPhone 4 looks cool, I never liked how it felt in the hand. Like it curved on the edges to feel more like the first design.

Wow us again with your industrial design apple! and make it unbreakable on a drop.

Micro USB is so functionally limited compared to what the 30 pin connector can do. The people who keep beating the drum for that (from various threads I have read about it) have no clue about the realities here

Why do you say that? I am quite sure Apple would not be moving to MicroUSB for awhile yet, if at all, but I'm curious what the 30pin can provide over Micro?

If Apple bring out a water resistant phone, I will be supremely impressed.

I don't necessarily want these but I think that Apple will at some point include:

Active Noise Control - small microphones integrated into the earbuds with signal processing built into the phone. Apple could advertise the feature, distinguish its own otherwise lackluster earbuds from higher-fidelity 3rd party ear/headphones, and, with a subtle but proprietary interface, could charge 3rd party headphone manufacturers licensing fees for creating headsets compatible with its ANC standard.

Voice recognition/authentication so that Siri could unlock a phone when issued a command (no more "I can't search the web while you're phone's locked...").

Some clever software that leverages the additional screen real estate on the taller screen. It would be best to implement this in a future-proof way now since many apps are going to have to be redesigned for the new screen anyway. For example, at some point in the future, users are going to need to be able to save/open files in a much more flexible way than they currently can. Apple could implement more powerful clipboard/file browser/navigation functionality with the additional real estate on the new screen (e.g., paste from a clipboard that operates like the app switcher). Putting in at least placeholder standards and interface elements now would mean applications could be written to properly handle future interface adjustments.

While the leaked parts look pretty legit, aesthetically, Apple will probably continue to remove extraneous parts from the exterior of the phone post-iPhone 5. The Retina MacBook Pro doesn't have the "MacBook Pro" text above the keyboard/below the screen. Apple will probably push thinner bezels on its computers and phones as a more "modern" design cue. The phone will eventually have no physical home button (only screen, camera, and speaker on the front) and the MacBooks and iPads will just have screens and cameras.

I guess I just want a new body change in general. Although the squareness of the iPhone 4 looks cool, I never liked how it felt in the hand. Like it curved on the edges to feel more like the first design.

Really? The iPhone 4 and 4S were the only iPhones visually appealing to me. I don't like iOS at all (I use it extensively on an iPod touch), and I wish my SG3 could have the same appeal as the iPhone 4/S. Each to their own, of course

Micro USB is so functionally limited compared to what the 30 pin connector can do. The people who keep beating the drum for that (from various threads I have read about it) have no clue about the realities here

Why do you say that? I am quite sure Apple would not be moving to MicroUSB for awhile yet, if at all, but I'm curious what the 30pin can provide over Micro?

If Apple bring out a water resistant phone, I will be supremely impressed.

Wireless charging adds thickness to the device. I don't think until we see a breakthrough in the amount of volume you need to do wireless charging do we see Apple add it (and they might be the ones to invent it, so who knows).

Apple wants the device to be thinner and thinner and thinner. Anything that adds bulk is dismissed.

The trouble with making the iPhone water resistant (like a watch or through a "nano coating") is that, to tout the feature, you're going to have to dunk it in water, even though it'd just be a protective feature.

This is going to lead to scores of customers also dunking their iPhones in water, and sometimes it's not going to work. You'll then have scores of customers demanding warranty work when they were being stupid.

"Water resistant" and "water proof" are two very different things. I would never intentionally submerge something rated as water resistant. However, I would fully expect something rated as water proof to work as advertised (eg. underwater housing for a digital camera).

Also a better compass sensor as a corollary. Nothing is more frustrating then having to stick my phone outside the car window to get an better GPS signal or having to wonder around like an idiot for half a block in an unfamiliar city after getting off the metro because it takes 30 seconds for the GPS to kick in then orient myself. I would easily take an IPhone that's up to 50% thicker to get this feature. Not possible no matter how big the phone is because the GPS signal is too weak? Then Apple should BUILD THEIR OWN GPS SATELLITE CONSTELLATION. Yeah it might cost them 10-20 billion dollars but that still would only be a minor dent in their cash pile and the competitive advantage it would give them would be ginormous.

As far as the Micro USB connector, I say nay. I want audio/video output through that jack, and I also believe we will be seeing Thunderbolt as a connection option for the iPhone, if not this gen, then next.

Except for "stronger glass body", I highly doubt this list reflects what the vast majority of users would ask for. In other words, this is a techie list that reflects Ars readers, who don't well represent the population as a whole. And if the home button were such a widespread problem, we'd never hear the end of it. There would be endless articles, investigations, and congressional hearings about it.

This is the first I've ever heard of a home button problem. Not saying it never happens, but I very much doubt it's as widespread as represented here. I've owned 5 iPhones and 2 iPads, none of them ever had a problem with the home button, and I have dozens of friends with iOS devices, again none ever mentioned any problem with the home button.

Place micro terminals on the back plate and create accessories to magnetically guide the other end to fit. “magsafe” in other words but not for the same reason. It would be just as convenient as wireless charging but more efficient. 3rd parties could make custom mounting hardware that could charge in one go. Would make a nice car accessory without the ungainly clamps.

Place micro terminals on the back plate and create accessories to magnetically guide the other end to fit. “magsafe” in other words but not for the same reason. It would be just as convenient as wireless charging but more efficient. 3rd parties could make custom mounting hardware that could charge in one go. Would make a nice car accessory without the ungainly clamps.

Just don’t patent it Apple.

That's actually been done, though not by Apple. The WIMM One (it's an Android watch) has a charger that uses magnets and pulls the device towards the contacts.

Inductive charging and removing the home button could lead to a hermetically sealed iPhone that is truly waterproof. Just a thought. Yeah, it still needs a charging dock or a cradle, but there no cable to plug or unplug. inefficient charging? Meh... Make something else in your house more efficient and carbon trade with the phone.

Except for "stronger glass body", I highly doubt this list reflects what the vast majority of users would ask for. In other words, this is a techie list that reflects Ars readers, who don't well represent the population as a whole. And if the home button were such a widespread problem, we'd never hear the end of it. There would be endless articles, investigations, and congressional hearings about it.

This is the first I've ever heard of a home button problem. Not saying it never happens, but I very much doubt it's as widespread as represented here. I've owned 5 iPhones and 2 iPads, none of them ever had a problem with the home button, and I have dozens of friends with iOS devices, again none ever mentioned any problem with the home button.

You've been very lucky then. It doesn't seem to affect iPads much because they're just not exposed to the things that could cause problems, but the Home button on mine and 3 or 4 of my friends iPhones are pretty dodgy. Some of them are nearly non-functional. Mine on my iPhone 4 is requiring a bit more deliberate pressure right now. I know how to fix it but I just don't feel like taking the phone apart again right now. I know a lot of people who have Home button issues unfortunately but they're all on iPhones and they're men, so it's probably due to pocket lint.